Darkness prevails
by Icantescape
Summary: Dark Edward. Vampire. Bella had a sheltered life that broke into pieces when Edward Cullen claimed her as his mate. Can she fight what was set in stone. One shot. R
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone. This story was just ..nagging me to write it and even though I should be doing Economics, I decided to sit and write this down. Yay me right?

Anyway, let me clear a few things first. This is a dark Edward fiction because I find dark possessive Edward delicious. It's different from the usual in the sense Bella is Edward's mate and the vampires are not all nice. It's a little twisted but it doesn't really contain dark gory themes, so no worries there. No wolfs here.

This is intended as a one shot. If I receive a massive feedback on it I might consider turning it into something else, but for now it's a one shot that I hope you will enjoy.

So, read and review.

**Darkness prevails**

"You're so frail and powerless against me." A low husky whisper breathed into her ear, sending shivers down her spine and constricting her insides.

She felt the mattress dip with a weight that crushed her inside. As her eyes closed, she started her silent prayers that never seemed to be answered.

_'No, not tonight, not again, please let it all be a dream.'_

"I hope you're not wishing for impossible things?" Said her constant shadow with an amused dark chuckle. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her roughly against his chest, her eyes were still closed- maybe if she could block out his face she could pretend she actually had a life. A purpose.

Hope.

His fingers dug into her flesh through the fabric of her night gown "Open your eyes." He commanded in a soft dangerous tone. She knew better than not to comply, her friends had suffered enough 'freak' accidents on her account. Her foolish defiance had caused nothing but pain and misery. So much hurt and blood tainted her soul. Guilt that would drown mountains in oceans of grief.

"Much better." He said trailing his index finger down her pale cheek and under her chin. He raised her head a bit so their eyes would be level. She still focused her eyes on a nonexistent spot in the air. She couldn't possibly meet his eyes, those dark pools of morbid gold. Jailing her life, possessing her mind with the depthless desire that filled her with a sense of foreboding.

He was too powerful, too arrogant and more importantly too unmerciful.

He chuckled at her flail attempt of control. Maybe he would grant her this small measure of the control she never had a chance at. Maybe he would, but kindness was absent tonight.

"Look at me." He said with the same soft danger as before. His voice a river of silk caressing her skin and clouding her senses. So musical and pure in sound, so deterring and false. She knew of the truth that hid beneath the beauty.

She refused, she would defy him. He controlled far too much of her, she _needed _to feel like she could hold on to something.

"Bella." It was a warning backed up by a light squeeze of his hands that had trailed down her waist and rested dangerously low on her hip. So light to him, but enough to inflict discomfort and almost tolerable pain to her.

Almost.

Her eyes snapped to him as she gasped and moaned softly in pain, her hands fisting tightly by her sides "Edward.." she pleaded with her brown warm eyes to whatever particle of mercy that existed in this creature of doom.

He smirked and closed his eyes in momentary pleasure at the noise she'd made. How it excited him to hear his name roll off the mouth he claimed as his, she was all his.

He opened his eyes and leaned in close until the tips of their noses almost touched.

"Let me make it better for you." He whispered with an ominous glint in his eyes.

Nothing he ever did was for her betterment. It almost always was for his own satisfaction.

His hand trailed down her hip, down the length of her short night gown until it found the flesh of her thigh. Bella gasped when his long fingers made contact with the exposed skin under the sheet. She took in a shaky breath and just looked into his eyes pleadingly, hoping he would not play this mental game with her. He'd promised her that much control, even though it seemed like he wanted to honor nothing and had the absolute power to do so.

She saw nothing of hope, mercy or even pity. All she saw was a burning raging fire that could melt titanium.

She felt his hand trail up to her hip and rest gently on it.

Edward began drawing soft circles on the skin, her warm skin that could almost make him forget his coldness. He would lift the waistband of her briefs just to tease. He took great pleasure in her accelerated heart beats and her short ragged and frightened breaths. What he loved the most was the look of complete plea in her eyes. The slight tremor that took control of her body and the light trembling of her lips.

"So scared my little Bella." He whispered lightly against her lips before touching his own to hers. He reveled in the warmth, _her _warmth. Oh, it was intoxicating, she was intoxicating and he only ever wanted more.

She was his and no one would ever dare touch her. She knew that and it would give him great pleasure for her to come to him and finally offer her self willingly. He wanted her to surrender and admit defeat. Fighting and struggling was nothing but a joke. Her thin slender frame was nothing but a speck of dust, so little and inconsequential in comparison to his power.

"You said you wouldn't.." Came the soft broken whisper of the ghost of what used to be a person. Bella could feel his lips ghosting over hers again and as she murmured softly she could feel their lips touching. It sent shivers down her back, unwanted and hated ones. She despised this creature of shadows. She despised his ethereal beauty, so other worldly and divinely misleading. He was a vision of perfection, Achilles would pale into dust in comparison.

He chuckled lightly before claiming her lips more deeply, taking his time in tasting her and commemorating this to memory. Every moment with her was one to remember, every touch and every taste was heaven.

Bella responded, shyly and timidly against his sinful lips until she was exploring him and tasting him languidly. Her body always betrayed her, his cool lips warmed her and spread indescribable waves of pure pleasure through her. She felt a single tear slip. What good was her defiance when she was submitting so cowardly. When she willingly raised this temporary white flag and enjoyed it. She was disgusted with her self for being so weak. For being such a perishable subject, for not being stronger and braver.

Maybe it was all twisted but the slowness of their lips moving together gave her comfort. His touch when soft and gentle gave her sad psyche relief. It was kindness in a war ridden world. It was a distraction from the enemy…with the enemy.

After lightly biting Bella's bottom lip Edward pulled back smugly, smirking deviously at her "But you like it so much." he said gravelly and deeply, his voice hoarse with restrained longing and need.

Bella's cheeks reddened at the indisputable truth and she felt nauseated at herself. It was hate she felt towards him. Nothing else could take place in her. He took her selfishly, showed up and shattered her world. He was the reason for her grief and yet the only one willing to give comfort.

Her weaknesses disgusted her. Her body betrayed her.

Edward's fingers trailed the red in her cheeks and his eyes blazed in hunger "You make it so hard.." he said exposing his fangs that reflected the moonlight so chillingly. Bella froze in fear. She never acclimated to his nature, it was what trapped her.

Her breath was caught in her throat and all she could do was close her eyes as he leaned his head down to her neck where he placed soft gentle kisses.

She breathed a sigh of relief and heard him chuckle morbidly as he ascended his kisses back to her lips where he pulled back to survey her. He circled her waist with his arm and held her tightly against his hard body.

"You will soon be mine, forever." He said with a smile that could have fooled others into believing his lies. Bella shuddered and closed her eyes as she was suddenly overwhelmed with despair.

"Tell me your mine." Commanded Edward almost playfully, though she knew his tone was nothing but serious. He love affirmation, he loved control.

"I'm yours." she said bleakly; Her words music to his ears. He was sure she would soon be taken by the force of their bond. She would soon submerge herself in him and he in her.

It was all a matter of time.

Time she wished to reverse and start again. Only without the darkness that solidified hell and dissipated anything real into nothing but a mirage.

In her mind she went back, back to when all thing's were normal. When she was just somebody in the crowd. Another face, wishing for more. Never this.

_It was the second semester of her senior year in high school. Coming to Forks was the best thing she had ever done. She made friends for life and life has yet to start. The promise of tomorrow burned in her veins. _

_With a smile she turned her head to observe the note exchanging between her friends, Michael and Jessica, in class. Michael caught her eyes and grinned heartily at her, wiggling his eyebrows as he discreetly slipped her the note._

_'Party. Party. Paaaaarttteeehhhh._

_My house, tonight… _

_Possibly bikini?_

_The parteeeh is still on and I still insist on my dress code.'_

_Bella rolled her eyes, stifling a giggle_ _while she was at it. It was typical of her friend to act like such a pervert- he was the designated player in their group after all. _

_Bella scribbled her answered under Jessica's which read: 'Hell yeah, pool party!!'_

_When Michael got the paper he read what she had written with a roll of his eyes._

_'Exams are next week!' _

_he scribbled something fast and slipped it on her desk._

_'Live a little! Next week is a long time from now and it's Friday and my parents are gone…my pool is lonely …I feel empty inside… please help a manic depressive feel a little better?'_

_Bella shook her head in disbelief with a smile tugging the corners of her lips upwards. Michael was looking at her with his angelic puppy eye 'please say yes' face. She sighed and nodded her head and he mouthed 'Bikini.' _

_She glared at him and mouthed back 'Maybe.' _

_Michael pointed his thumb at his neck and let his head fall to one side with his eyes closed. Bella's hands twitched as she controlled her bubbling laughter. He was signaling the end of his life._

_He quickly hunched over a piece of paper and folded it on her desk after writing something on it. _

_'My death will be on your hands…Bikini's make my bleak life a little less miserable, it's all I'm asking… help a fellow out?'_

_Michael batted his eyelashes and adopted a killer innocent look. With his light blonde hair and baby blue's he could sucker anyone into anything he wanted, not her though._

_She placed the paper on his desk, narrowing her eyes warningly at him. _

_'I think I can live with that, I said maybe, now let me pay attention- this note-versation is over!'_

_Later that evening Bella did show up with her friend Jessica and she did have a bikini on under her shorts and tank. It was a pool party anyway and a little fun never hurt anyone._

_Michael's parents were extremely wealthy and he lived in a massive house. They had an indoor's pool as well as an outdoor's one and since the weather was nice ( cloudy but not rainy) the party was located at the outdoor's pool. Michael invited a bunch of people, even though he was a solid part of their group, he was quite popular in the school being the star quarterback. The security guard let them in with his usual leering wink and Jessica waved awkwardly as she drove her Jeep in. Only they got to park inside- being the in crowd never hurt. _

_"My two favorite ladies in the world." Said Mike with a grin. As her gave each of them a bear hug "You are fashionably late- Jessica.." he glared at her playfully. She just shrugged sheepishly. It was never in her nature to ever be on time, especially at a party. _

_Bella just grinned and said "How's the crowd?"_

_"It's a full house in there, I am the king after all." He said wickedly "and you wont believe who's here- the Cullen's- remember they were all here last year, Jess?"_

_Jessica squealed excitedly, her pupils dilating and hands twitching in excitement "Mike, you ARE the king, how come they're here?" she said in awe, after circling her arms around Michael in a hug well deserved in her dictionary._

_"Heard they just got in town, called them up. It was a 50/50 chance, but they actually showed!" he said with a chuckle "It's a mystery." _

_The Cullen's had been in Forks before Bella moved for her senior year. When she started her senior year in Fork's high, they had already moved on to Seattle university. She never ran into them since half her time was divided between the reservation and hanging out with her friends down in the reservation after introducing them all to each other. She'd heard they were in town for the holiday's but she never got the chance to see them because she spent it with her father and the Black's down at the reservation. Jacob Black, son of Billy back-best friend of her father- was her best friend along with Mike and Jess. They were a separated entity for a while, but when Jake started his senior year in Forks high, they were whole again. He'd always been dodgy when it came to the mention of the Cullen's. He never did like them and Bella never ventured to even wonder why. They were out of sight and out of her mind for all she cared. Though, now she was curious. They were here and she wanted to see the cause of Jessica's fantasies. She called them the perfect five. _

_How perfect could they be?_

_"Where's Jake, did you give him a call?" Questioned Bella casually. She knew he couldn't make it, but maybe there were updates on her friend. She wanted to go down to the reservation and spend the day with him, but knew it wouldn't do. He wouldn't want her near him when he's sick and he made it quite clear on the phone with his repeated 'No's!' in his deep gruff voice. _

_"Nah, he's still out cold. Some flu he's got, we cant even visit because it's contagious, his dad say's he's going to be alright though." Said Mike with a frown, his voice laced with concern. _

_Bella nodded in expected disappointment that the missing link of their group couldn't make it. "So, The notorious Cullen's, huh?" she said cocking her head to the side "This should be interesting."_

_If only she had gone to the reservation. Interesting would not be the word of the day. _

_Jessica had made it quite clear what a disappointment it was that Bella didn't get a chance to ever see them. They were mysterious and vague, ambiguous and scandalous._

_The music was blaring, half naked people filled the house as Mike lead them into his room so they could put their stuff in there. _

_Jessica made her way down the stairs in her black and red striped bikini top and jean skirt over her bikini bottoms. Her toned stomach in perfect display. She was proud of her body and flaunting it wasn't an issue at all. _

_Bella wore an off white bikini with straps that tie behind the back and neck. She had on a light blue strapless beach dress that came to her mid thigh. Her frame slender with soft curves in all the right places. She would never be as confident as Jessica, but she wasn't bothered by her body. _

_The minute her foot touched the ground, vertigo hit her. she swayed lightly and supported her self by clutching Jessica's shoulder. Jessica turned around in alarm and turned her body around so she had both her arms on Bella's shoulders to steady her "What's wrong?"_

_"I don't know, I just got so dizzy.." said Bella, her brows frowning in confusion as the feeling slowly ebbed away "I'm okay now, it's fine." _

_"You scared me there! Do you need to lie down?" Insisted Jessica, relief washing over her at her friends words of assurance. _

_"Hey, we're here to party remember?!" Said Bella with a grin, shaking the feeling off completely._

_Jessica grinned at her and took Bella's hand in hers leading her to the back patio. It was then that Bella's instincts went haywire. Her body broke out in goose bumps and she had that pricking sensation that she was being watched. The hairs at the back of her neck stood and she shivered lightly as she scanned the crowds. She couldn't pin point the source, but her body was almost screaming at her to run away. She was someone's prey. She needed to hide. _

_She pushed those strange unwarranted feeling to the back of her sub consciousness. She was here to have fun, not be paranoid and scared of some invisible thing that tried to screw with her system. Maybe it was the stress of the up coming exams. _

_It didn't matter and as she passed the patio into the pool area her face was lit up with a grin as Mike dived into the pool, creating a massive splash around him. Jessica soon joined in the fun after shrugging her jean skirt off. _

_No body seemed to care that there was a slight chill in the air. The pool was warmed and that was enough. Everyone was obviously having a great time and Bella felt partially bad for not being able to share all the fun with Jake. She went to the edge of the pool and sat, dipping her legs in the water. _

_"Come on!" shouted Mike from the other end, splashing Jessica with a wicked glint in his eyes. _

_"In a bit." Shouted Bella back. She just wanted to enjoy the air for a bit and survey the place. Maybe she could even see the Cullen's. _

_And see them she did. Four of them, all sitting together, almost out of the range of the party. All dressed the part, their inhumanly beautiful bodies displayed in perfection and their abnormal beauty putting everyone, combined, to shame. They were just sitting together, watching-waiting. _

_She gasped in surprise at Jessica's understated description, not that she had ever asked for more. That group out there had to be the Cullen's, they were the only alien faces in the party. The only other unworldly ones._

_But weren't they supposed to be five? _

_One of them with short black hair caught Bella's eyes. She was pale, too pale and perfect- too perfect in her petite slender form. She smirked in an almost feral way, her eyes intense on Bella's tense one's._

_Bella broke the eye contact hurriedly. There was something twisting in her gut and it wasn't pleasant. From her peripheral vision she could see that they seemed to all be staring at her. Was she paranoid? Did she imagine that?_

_"Are the Cullen's staring at you?" whispered Jessica as she swam to where Bella sat, her brows frowning "That's weird, maybe they couldn't place you, new kid in town and all."_

_"Yeah, right, probably it" Said Bella absentmindedly, feeling quite bare under their scrutinizing gaze. _

_"Well, what are you waiting for, jump in!" said Jessica tugging at her short dress. Bella grinned and stood up, taking her dress off and flinging it beside her, before diving in the deep end. The water surrounded her in it's warmth and she surfaced with a smile, pushing her hair out of her face. _

_Her fun didn't even start before it had to end. The sky decided it was time to ruin the outdoor's fun. The tiny drops of rain fell and soon started hammering. _

_"Oh no!" shouted Mike and added in a rush "IN TO THE INDOOR'S POOL, the party will go on people!"_

_Bella laughed at that and decided she would linger a bit as she saw everyone scramble out of the pool and sprint towards the house. Jessica turned towards her, after seeing she wasn't following behind and shouted from afar "Are you crazy!" _

_Bella laughed and grinned shaking her head "I'll be in, just let me enjoy the water for a while!" _

_"Your gonna get pneumonia!" She said with a shake of her head, running for the safety of the dry house._

_Bella laughed into the sound and the feel of the drops of rain, hamming on her bare shoulders and the surface of the warm water. She turned her head to look to where the Cullen's had previously sat and saw the empty place glare at her. They made her feel unsettled and she found her self taking back whatever curiosity she had about them. _

_There was still one she had yet to lay her eyes on. She found her self willing to pass on the opportunity. They were so similar in a way and her primal instincts just told her to stay away. Who was she to question something as primitive as her instincts. _

_She dove in the warm water and surfaced again to the cold chilling air and the little drops. She dove again and tilted her head upwards to the surface of the disrupted water. The sight so beautiful to behold to her slightly blurry vision. She suddenly saw a shadowy figure, and feeling the burning need for air, she surfaced again, blinking as she turned around to examine her surroundings. _

_Nothing was moving, nothing was out of place. Had she imagined it? Had the silence and deserted place started playing tricks on her mind. Maybe it was time to join the others inside._

_Bella started swimming towards the edge of the pool when she felt something cold brush against her thigh. She stopped abruptly and twirled around, eyes pinned on the water that surrounded her. _

_Nothing but the blue of the tiles under the disrupted surface. _

_She felt that same coldness brush against her waist and looked down instantly to see nothing. Her hands circled her, waving the water in a circle around her. There was nothing._

_Her heart beats accelerated and intensified. The chill in the air biting her exposed skin and the little drops blurring her vision. She could feel her teeth chatter. It was time to go inside. _

_Fear gripped her heart. She was sure something brushed against her thigh and waist. She was certain, but her surroundings indicated it was only her there, only her and the rain. _

_She swam to the ledge once more and just as she reached it she felt two cold hands on her waist from behind. She yelped, her heart rate skyrocketing, and twirled around. Some one had their hands on her and it wasn't the thin air playing tricks on her. _

_She gasped when her brown mundane eyes met almost coal ones. Deep black eyes that could have belonged to the devil. To a fallen angel, for the man that shared the warm water in front of her, under the cold rain, was devastatingly beautiful. Such beauty you only ever read about in stories. The fairy tale type. The unnatural type. _

_And her body screamed at her to run. She was the prey, he was the hunter. _

_It was too late though._

_She was caught._

_"W-wwhat are you doing." Her voice was quivering and her lips were trembling. His cold hands were such a contrast to the warm water. She was mesmerized by his hypnotic gaze. His lip was quirked up in a smirk and his eyes held a dangerous glint in them. _

_"Touching you." Said the beautiful stranger, his voice velvety melodic. Enough to lull her senses. _

_She took in a shaky breath and could feel his thumb draw circles on her abdomen. He looked down to where his hands were and his eyes darkened as he scanned her figure under the water. _

_That snapped her attention and her hands moved to where his were. She tried to move them away but they were stone like in their grip. _

_"Who are you, why wont you let me go!" shrieked Bella. She felt trapped and suffocated and she was out there, alone, with a beautiful demon. _

_"I'm Edward Cullen, my Bella." He whispered as he brought his face closer to hers. So calm and collected, so sure and confident. She wanted to wipe the smirk of his face and she wanted to get away. A sudden wave of foreboding washed over her. _

_This was the beginning of something. _

_It was the end of her beginning. _

_"H-hhow do you know my name." she quivered, eyes wide in shock and hands still fighting against stone. She was terrified and this man in front of her seemed in human. _

_"You're mine." he simply said, his cold nose trailing the line of her jaw. Bella started trembling, this was beyond the scope of the natural. He was insane, spewing insane things. _

_Recognition of the name suddenly hit her and made her head spin. She was half cold and semi warm with his hands on her. they wouldn't budge. The rain kept hammering, blurring her vision and freezing her. This predator so close to her, speaking of insane things. _

_"I'm not, now let me go!" she yelled, struggling futilely against an unbreakable armor. _

_Edward's arms smashed into the ledge, breaking it into little pieces and trapping her in his arms "You are, I've waited for you and now the wait is over." He whispered dangerously while Bella's eyes grew to the size of saucers. No human had the strength to punch into a solid surface like the ledge and come out unscathed. Yet Edward's hands seemed as perfect as ever. _

_Her breathing hitched and she gulped. A sudden wave of nausea washed over her and her head started spinning._

_"What are you, what's wrong with to you- I don't even know you!" Pleaded Bella almost desperately. Her brain refused to believe what was going on. She didn't even know what to think. This guy just wasn't human. _

_"We'll have eternity for that love." It was all a blur but she was in his hands, against his naked sculpted chest and in the rain. Bella took in a deep breath, ready to scream loud enough to get someone's attention when she was no longer in Mike's house. She was in the woods half naked with a deranged lunatic who thought of her as his. _

_This had to be a nightmare. She had to be napping somewhere. _

_This could not be real. _

_She felt a sharp pain at the base of the back of her neck and then darkness welcomed her into it's folds. _

_When Bella came to, her life as she knew it was over. _

_The first thing she heard was the melodic voice of a female saying "She's up." _

_There was a dull ache at the base of her neck and everything else was out of focus. When her vision adjusted to the light and the sound of the drops of water outside, she sat up and looked around in alarm. She was hit on the head. He had hit her on the head and now she was somewhere strange, in a white room with a wall of glass and the petite raven head smirking at her. _

_"Who are you?" gulped Bella looking around the room, not wanting to meet the girl's penetrating eyes. She looked down at her covered body and gasped, her cheeks reddening. _

_"Don't worry, I changed you." Said the girl with a kind smile that froze Bella. _

_"This is kidnap, you cant – no, what are you, this isn't real-My dad is the chief of police-let me go!" Bella's thoughts were running a mile a minute and she felt mentally scattered all over the place._

_"Leave." Came the gritty voice of Edward Cullen, walking in the room as if responding to the to the call of someone, almost like they were letting him know something. _

_He grinned conspiratorially as he shut the door and leaned his back against it "Bella, my Bella. What are you thinking?" _

_Bella looked at him in disbelief and then looked down at the shirt she was wearing. It was his she was sure. What was wrong with him. What was he? Why was his family involved in this too, why did he take her, far and away into a house she didn't even know the location of. _

_She saw him advance towards her and she backed up in the bed she was in, her naked thighs clasped together tightly. His grin was animalistic, his eyes gold melting into black. She gasped at that as he crawled on the bed, getting closer to her as she backed away. Before she could reach the headboard and become trapped between it and him, she felt his hands, in a movement so fast it escaped her eyes, pin her down on the bed with him hovering on top of her. _

_His eyes closed and her heart soared. She tried to move, tried to get out of the way but the deadliness in his voice stopped her "Don'." _

_Bella was instantly overwhelmed with fear, fear for her life. She was scared and felt immobile. She couldn't do anything, this …something… was powerful. Her eyes started watering and soon the tears started spilling. She was petrified. _

_He chuckled darkly, opening his black eyes to pierce her brown teary ones. He breathed her in so deeply, she wondered if his lungs had the capacity for more air. He exhaled blowing gently on her hot face and his sweet scent invaded her senses and intoxicated her. Something beyond her understanding was going on. Something sinister. _

_Edward leaned forward and kissed the corners of her eyes, kissing the tears away. Warmth invaded her belly, warmth she didn't want and she felt disgusted with herself._

_"You're fear is so delicious." Edward said, slowly making his way to her ear where he nibbled gently "You're so delicious, I want to have you whole." _

_Bella started hyperventilating. Wheezing breaths in and out, feeling like the air wasn't enough, there wasn't enough air. All she did was go to a party, all she wanted was to have fun with her friends and now she was laying on a strange'rs bed, who clearly wanted to have his way with her._

_She never expected the most talked about Cullen's to be savages. She'd never dreamed she would be in this situation. She closed her eyes and prayed for help, prayed for someone to save her from this. _

_"Shhh, calm down love, nice and easy, breath in and out.." his calm gentle voice whispered in her ear and she found herself calming down involuntarily._

_"I don't want this, you have the wrong girl, I just want to go home- I know you don't want this, what you're doing is illegal, your family is a part of this community- people will know I'm missing." Bella said desperately, trying to make him understand what he was doing was wrong. Even then, deep inside, she knew it was all pointless. _

_Edward started laughing and pulled back to look at her tear stricken face "No, everyone knows you left with me, they're impressed and jealous. Everyone doesn't know what's really going on. It will stay that way, mmh." He said trailing the back of his index finger down her cheek, neck until it reached her collar bone. _

_"No, I will tell everyone, you are a liar – you hurt me and now you wont let me go…you're not even human." She whispered defiantly, her eyes glowing in determination- fear, temporarily forgotten. _

_Anger flashed in Edward's eyes, but with a calm domineering smile and a bone chilling tone he said "If you do that, if you don't accept me, I will hurt your friends. All of them. The Blondes, the one down at the reservation. They will all hurt, the severity depends on how much pain you inflict by being difficult," then he paused and his expression turned wicked as he leaned forward and hovered his lips over hers. Close but not close enough for them to touch "I am Vampire." _

_Bella was shocked into silence. His threat made her blood freeze in her veins and his declaration made it pump faster and harder through her system. _

_"H-how do you know so much about me." She asked in a chocked voice._

_"This has been a long time coming. You and I are mates. I waited for you for so long, today was time for us to meet," he said with eyes burning with passion and fueled by the fear in her eyes, so satisfactory, so chillingly beautiful "For us to connect." _

_That was the first time the unworldly creature laid his lips on Bella's. It was the first time she felt her body wake up with the feeling of true desire. Betrayed by her own hunger, her lips kissed back, almost automatically and the haze of want threw rational thought out the window. Everything melted away, the party, the situation and the danger that Edward was. All she could taste was the taste of his divine lips, so sweet and so addictive. The impatience in his kisses grew and he growled as he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his and pressing his body against hers. So warm she was, so soft to touch. Her moans sent an electricity through his body he wanted to savor forever and he wanted to illicit that sound again, and again..and again. _

_His hands trailed the side of her waist, brushing lighting against the swell of her breast. She gasped into his mouth, clouded by the intensity of emotions running through her body. He took the opportunity to bite her lip and explore her even deeper. Eternity was worth the wait. _

_When his hands descended lower and lower, Bella's haze started disappearing and panic and alarm shot through her. She didn't understand how her body wanted to give into his so easily, but she couldn't. She couldn't give into him that way. She had that choice as much as it befuddled her, the physical reactions he elicited from her. She had never experienced something so intense. She was never more frightened._

_"Wh-what was that." Panted Bella, trying to regain her breaths and control the furious blushes that painted her cheeks red. She could not believe she just kissed her kidnapper. _

_"You may fight this now," whispered Edward, his eyes intense and pure gold, brushing his lips lightly against hers as he spoke "But even your body knows it's mine. You've always been mine and soon, you will join me and my family."_

It felt as if it was all centuries ago, hard to believe it was only months ago. Her demon of the night would come to her every night and possess her. Some days she would speak as if he were not her jailor and sometimes she would give into the primal passion that burned for him. Maybe pieces of her were surrendering slowly and surely. She did not know, all she knew is that she hated him for all he took from her. For becoming an acquaintance to people she would have gladly given up her life for.For making her life all about him.

She hated him with such a passion it blurred sometimes and she found herself lost.

Maybe time will tell of what the blur is.

Maybe.

Xxx

Hope you liked it. Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own twilight.

A/N: sooo I know I told you guys this would be a one shot but like I had this scene in mind and I couldn't help but write it! I really hope you guys enjoy it and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Warning: This chapter may be a little more on the dark side.

I would like to thank my friend Avery for all her input and just being a fantastic friend to have late night chats regarding overly depressing characters. Love you lots.

Chapter two:

Bella put her carnelian gemstone pendant on a long gold chain and secured it around her neck. It would always remind her of Jessica- a gift that symbolized friendship.

Bella's fingers tightened around the pendant, her nails digging into the skin of her palm. It hurt. It hurt grieving for someone she had not lost physically, but lost more or less in every other sense of the word.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, dressed in dark grey skinny jeans and a white tank with a black cardigan on. Her hair hung in waves down her back; a dark curtain for emergencies. She looked past her reflection into the dark room. An ash black canopy bed centered the large room with a black wooden trunk by its foot. Two black night stands with three drawers were on either side of the bed with white lamps standing idly on. A black rug rested on an oak wooden floor, looking invitingly soft to dip her toes in.

Everything was in shades of white and black. Including her. She fit perfectly in a room that wasn't hers. She fit perfectly along with the other _belongings_.

She was in a house that probably was the fanciest house she had ever seen. People would dream of living in such a work of art. Everything so perfect, immaculate and just beautiful.

And she felt like she was just another item on display.

She heard talk of eternal life and love. An unbreakable bond, mates forever. Yet, she had no free will. Baby sat constantly, someone with their ears always tracing her every movement. This version of love was one she never imagined for herself. This wasn't even love. It was possession.

She knew she was at fault for this maximum security like prison, though. It all happened when she stopped her fear. When she'd had enough. When life wasn't so promising anymore and she lost all battles, including fighting for her friends.

She just wanted a way out. It was all too excruciating for her inside. Her will meant nothing and her essence as a person was gone. She turned into an empty shell and she just wanted _relief_.

_Bella sat on her bathroom floor with her knees pulled up against her chest. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was tear streaked. One moment she was looking at her reflection in the mirror and then all she knew she was on the floor crying hysterically. She just couldn't remember what she was like a few months ago. She couldn't go past the fear and remember what made her laugh. She couldn't even remember the last time she laughed without a heavy heart._

_Jake cutting all ties with her after finding out about Edward and their 'relationship'. Jessica consumed with anger and hurt for Bella's walls, wanting nothing to do with her. Mike siding with Jessica and giving Bella an ultimatum she had no power over. _

_It all hurt._

_She just couldn't remember anything of her prior self. She had become a puppet and an empty hollow doll. She couldn't picture eternity this way. She didn't want such an eternity. She would take death over that life gladly._

_Death was something Bella never thought of. Not self induced death. But at that moment in time all she wanted was change. Change she could control and an end to her miserable existence. _

_Bella got up from her place and stood in front of the mirror. She just needed one shard to cut her deep enough until she existed no more. She needed it to be fast and irreversible. The physical pain could not possibly catch up to her emotional torment. It would just be a price, a fare, to the other side. To any side, anything but this life she was living. _

_Bella took in a deep breath and raised her fist to shatter the mirror. She only needed one sharp shard. With every ounce of strength she possessed, Bella punched into the mirror over the sink, successfully shattering it. The pain seared, flaring immediately and she cradled her hand to her chest. She only had a short interval of time before Edward was back. He was always there, unless he needed to hunt. She just couldn't take it. Always there. Always there. Always there._

_No more. _

_She just needed one clean slash against some major artery. She picked up a shard with her good hand,- the hurt one forgotten by her side. She was about to go down a road there was no coming back from. She would have been disappointed in herself had she stopped to think long enough about the whole situation. But thought had no room in her mind. Nothing that could sway her in her moment of relief had place in her. Everything melted away as her big brown bloodshot eyes eyed the sharp shard. Her heart was beating wildly as she brought the shard closer to her neck. _

_Bella had no room for a final breath. This was her moment, it was only her and the shard and her resolve. She shut her eyes tightly and willed the trembling of her hands away. _

_The moment the shard touched the skin of her neck, her hand was shoved away and grabbed in a vice grip after tossing the shard away. She stared, eyes opened wide in shock, at Jasper Cullen and his hard face. His lips were pursed and his jaw was clenched. His eyes had an unreadable emotion in them. Bella's mind registered what was going on and she sucked in a deep breath to scream and fight against it. _

_**They**__ wouldn't even let her end her life on her terms. Anger took charge as she screamed and thrashed, powerless without the use of her hands. All she could do was cry and scream in anger and despair. They stopped her. They would always stop her. _

_She didn't know at what point she fell into an unwelcomed darkness, but she did. When she came to she was once again at that familiar room. His room. In fresh bloodless cloths and what looked like a bandaged hand. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. When everything flashed, her memory sparing no details, Bella just closed her eyes. The tears still leaked though. Now she would have to deal with the aftermath. Now she would have to face everything she tried to escape. _

_She would have to face him. Be with him after clearly wanting to escape life to escape him. Would that be enough to change things? It was crazy of her to think of his feelings when she did what she did because she wanted to stop the way she was feeling. She wanted to stop her train of thought. She wanted to stop thinking, period. _

_She turned in the bed and balled herself into the fetal position. It was all she could do. It was all she had energy for. _

_She heard the door softly open and close. Her heart rate picked up slightly. She knew this would eventually happen; it was inevitable that she escape him. Maybe she did belong with him, if it was impossible to disappear from him. She scoffed inwardly at her train of thought. She just failed in ending her life because of him. She owed him nothing._

_Bella heard Edward drag an armchair across the wooden floor and the noise grew louder, until it stopped by her side of the bed. _

_Nothing filled the air but excruciating silence. She dared not open her eyes, but she could feel the burning gaze of Edward on her. She felt bare, fully clothed. _

_"I know you're awake." Said Edward in a distant voice, not like his usual sultry velvet notes. It came out cold and empty. A lifeless melody. _

_Bella turned on her back and just laid there on a bed not her own, with her eyes closed. She didn't feel a need to acknowledge his statement. She already knew he knew, it seemed like he knew a lot of things before their time. She always noticed how he was there to stop something from happening to her, or stop her from trying to make something happen. It always befuddled her, always a question unanswered. The night before was enough for her to start down a different path. She was numb inside, she would fear no more. _

_She wanted to ask him, know just how he was one step ahead of her. Even as supernatural as he was, he wasn't supposed to beat the unexpected future. Was she even safe in a future known to him? Did she even care about her safety anymore? _

_It was a laughable thought. Her safety. A tomorrow of a different shade? Something heart warming, not freezing. _

_It made her laugh. And Laugh Bella did. The sound of her laughs filled the quiet room and echoed through the hollow halls of the manor. She'd gasp in between laughs, take a deep intake of breath and continue laughing. The laugher bubbled in her chest at the ridiculousness of her every hope. It was quite a shock to find her self sinking into another person in a life she never signed up for. It was quite humorous to be that dead inside. _

_Bella laughed. She laughed wiping away the tears. She laughed as if she was a mad woman. Laughed as if she'd lost her mind. Nothing mattered anymore. Her life was a joke. One sad joke. _

_Edward was on top of her, straddling her with his hands on her shoulders. Bella automatically opened her eyes, her laughs dying in her throat at the piercing gaze of Edward's eyes. His brows were furrowed slightly as he looked at her with his deep topaz eyes concealing all emotion. He was just holding her in place, his face void of all emotion and eyes intensely immobilizing. Bella's breathing became hard and his weight on her crashed her back into the not so humorous reality. _

_She closed her eyes and started sobbing. She hid her face beneath her palms and just sobbed. A drastic change to her previous state. Maybe she was going mad. Maybe she wanted to go mad. Lose her mind. Lose her self and never miss who she was and resent who she'd become. She just wanted to forget. _

_".me." she ground out between sobs with as much fierceness as she could muster. She didn't care about the consequences anymore. She just stopped caring. He could choose not to get off. He could choose to do a lot of things; it was within his power to do anything. He could take her right there. He could just fuck her and finally claim her. He could have her body. He could have his control. He would never possess her heart. Never enter her mind. _

_Bella felt Edward's arms leave her shoulders and heard the door softly click shut. She sat upright in an instant and looked around the empty room not quite believing what had just happened. Her words always knocked his hard exterior and bounced back. Everything she ever wanted him to understand seemed to only bounce back. Nothing ever __**broke through**__. _

_She looked around the empty room, wiping the tears with the back of her hands. It was empty. It was really empty. He would always fill her room with his presence. _

_She welcomed the emptiness and fell back into the mattress. She didn't want to think and analyze and process. She just wanted to be in that moment. Be alone. Be without him. _

The door opened softly and closed with an almost mute click. Bella didn't have to turn her body around to see who it was. Sometimes, when she sat in the quiet, it felt serene. Nothing made a sound, not even her. She'd hold her breath for as long as her lungs let her. All to just hear nothing and feel nothing. Just to know it's safe. But, Bella found out that the quiet was deceiving after a while.

When things were too quiet, she knew something was wrong. When, inside, her emotions were anything but quiet, she knew she wasn't alone anymore.

She was aware of him in a way that frightened her. His cool breath on her neck would send shivers up her spine and his strong hands around her waist would surround her and keep her safe. She would close her eyes and pretend she was someone else. She would close her eyes and fail. It was always him. It was never anyone else.

"Are you ready?" he said in a flat tone. His back against the closed door, his eyes too pools or vibrant topaz. Hiding everything in expertly.

Bella looked over her shoulder at his profile. He stood tall against the door in a grey sweater under a leather jacket. His washed out black jean clung to his hips perfectly. She took in the appearance of his tousled bronze hair and beautiful face.

Bella shook her head and tilted it towards the window. She stayed quiet for a while. She wondered how long they were going to keep pretending she didn't try to kill her self and how much she didn't want to move away to go to college with him. She wondered if what she thought mattered at all.

Things had changed. They weren't quite the way they were. Edward hadn't laid a finger on her since the incident.

She was relieved at first. She was free for a little while, until her own emotions surprised her.

Her days with his blended together. They were always the same. Eat, sleep and sit in silence. Nod her head yes or shake it no. His family was in her invisible line of sight. She acknowledged no one.

"It's your first day of college."

The words just echoed in the empty corridors of her mind. She numbed down her anger. Emotion was pointless at that point. Bella found it easier to just go along with everything. It was too much for her to try and handle anything anymore.

"Uh-huh." Was her simple reply. She wasn't ready for any of it. She never would be.

Bella stiffened almost instantly when she felt his cool breath against her ear. His sent invaded her senses and drowned her in a dreamy haze for a split second. It had been a long while since he was that close to her. She'd grown used to the distance, the impenetrable parameter that surrounded her. Her eyes closed momentarily at his scent and closeness, warming her and soothing her.

Bella bit her lip until the skin threatened to break. How was it fathomable to feel that way? Why was she so disgusting? Why couldn't she just be normal and will her feelings away. Will him to disappear. She couldn't deny the simple effect of his touch, it lulled her, distracted her. It made her feel better.

"Enough Bella." The authority in his voice sent shivers down her spine and his hands that were once hesitant clung to her shoulders strongly as he twirled her around. His vibrant eyes met her widened ones. Her gaze shifted to his hands and then to their proximity. She shook her head slightly, feeling suddenly light headed. He was too close after being too far and she resented herself for missing it.

Bella could feel her heart raging a tornado in her chest. Her big brown eyes threatened a lost war with his topaz ones, widening slightly at the deep frown that graced his features. His hands loosened their tight grip on her shoulders and slid down to her waist.

Bella stiffened immediately and a sense of foreboding filled her very essence. Without even realizing it she started sobbing into his chest, hitting him with all her might. She hit him, not uttering a word as her tears did all the talking for her. She put all her strength into every single blow, inflicting more damage on herself than she expected, knowing full well how futile it was to even hope to scratch Edward's fortifying skin.

Edward gently gripped Bella's wrists and held them to his chest, as if he knew at the rate she was going she was going to break her hands. He didn't say anything as she crashed against his chest in surrender, her sobs slowly subsiding.

Was it his nature that controlled his emotions? Did remnants of his old self exist at all?

"I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore." His statement was short and said in a clipped tone. He hadn't intended for it to sound so dry and cold. He slowly moved his hands back to her waist and pressed her closer to him "Okay?" he questioned in a whisper gently, glad she wasn't kicking and screaming at him. Though, he would prefer that to her catatonic state anytime.

Bella suddenly pushed out of his embrace and ran to the bathroom, throwing up whatever contents there were in her stomach. When she got out, she looked Edward straight in the eye and said "You make me sick."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello! I know it's been a long time since I updated, but I finally finished my exams and sat down to write. I hope you like this chapter, I really do, and if you happen to feel like leaving a review I'll appreciate that very much!

I actually need a Beta, to see what my eyes don't and helps make the story better! Inbox me if you're interested =)

Chapter Three:

The sky was devastatingly blue, the enthralling shade of blue that lures your thoughts in and makes time disappear. The air was humid and hot. The asphalt was hot under her skin as she continued looking into the blue that stretched forever. Her fingers started to burn from the heat of the asphalt. She stood up, her hair wildly tousled and bent to the will of the wind. The wind was getting stronger. She was in the middle of a highway, an empty one cutting dry land with nothing in sight.

She looked around in panic. She had to find someone, she knew that much. She started running down the highway in the same direction of the wind.

Deep in the distance she could make out an outline of a person. She started running faster, but the wind changed directions. It was harder to run but her will was strong. Something compelled her to go against the wind with all her might to get to that person.

She was close enough to see who it was, but still too far to reach.

Bella's legs stopped involuntarily as she recognized who the figure was. The figure was walking away, the wind was fiercer and Bella couldn't move her legs.

"JAKE" Her hair was slapping against her face, the wind was strong enough to knock her down, but she didn't stop. She called his name as loud as she could.

Just as her voice seemed to reach, against all impossible odds, propelling Jake to turn his head, the wind knocked her down on her back. The very ground she was on started to shake. She sat up and right before her very eyes, the earth split in two creating a deep rift that kept getting wider.

Jake continued to walk as if the sound he heard was a figment of his imagination.

Bella whimpered his name in one last attempt before despair claimed her.

"I told you not to wish for impossible things." The wind whispered to her.

Bella's eyes shot open in the darkness of her room. Her heart was hammering inside her ribcage and she breathed deeply and slowly to calm herself. There was no one in sight as she took in the room in the faint moon light that illuminated the room slightly.

She pulled the covers back and got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to wash her face. Sleep would not return tonight, not after that nightmare. She splashed the icy cold water on her face washing sleep away. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed tiredly. She didn't recognize herself anymore. Her eyes were sunken and the dark circles stood out prominently against her fair skin. Her cheek bones stuck out and she felt as hollow as she looked.

Her last final was yesterday. She stayed up filling the nights with studying and filling her mind with nothing but her academics. It was really hard at first, focusing on something specific in her life when she was surrounded by the source to her constant thoughts, but after some practice she was able to momentarily focus on something else. It did wonders for her grades.

Bella felt the chill in the air bite into her skin and walked to the closet to find a jumper. She had everything she needed in that closet; in fact, she had everything any girl would ever want to have in her closet. She paid little attention to it, but wondered if _he_ was the one getting all of that stuff for her or it was his family. She didn't care, she pushed through all the new and trendy sweaters and jackets to the very back of the closet, where what little cloths she brought were stored. She put on her own deep navy blue jumper that fit her just right and was enough to protect her from the chill in the air.

She looked for her wool socks but couldn't find any and decided to reluctantly wear any of the ones stored in there.

'Since I'm up, might as well get something to drink.' Bella usually didn't really eat in. Most of her meals were on campus or were small snacks smuggled into the library. She'd been trying to legitimately spend as much time as she can away from the house, the _vampires _house.

She can understand now that the world can hide astonishing secrets hidden right in plain view. Her belief system was short circuited and she could safely say her eyes have finally been opened.

_Not real_

It was a lie, a very old lie from a very old generation in the old world, told to protect the young and scared. It was a lie that destroyed her life and no one cared because no one knew what she was going through. No one ever will.

Bella had been left alone, he was never there anymore. She didn't have to be alone in a room only to realize he'd been there staring at her the whole time. She didn't have to fear for any of his advances on her. He terrorized her and intimidated her, but he left her alone after that day.

"_You make me sick."_

She most certainly touched a nerve. Good. She wanted to be left alone; he had infinite control and was a mad man drunk with dangerous power. It'd been weeks and she only saw him once, outside a coffee shop she frequented. One of her classmates, a boy that reminded her of Mike, had asked her to help him with his paper. It was a flimsy excuse to sit with her and talk to her, but she smiled politely and gestured for him to sit anyway. It was longer than she remembered that she had a conversation with another person about anything, just casually like kids her age are meant to have. They were talking literature then music and she found herself enjoying her time. Unburdened and able to forget everything else, she laughed for the first time in a very long time and felt _relief. _She wasn't Bella, forced into a life not of her choosing, she was just Bella college kid.

"_So, there's this party tonight if you want to go. It's going to be huge; you won't want to miss it!_

_Bella did want to go, but at that precise moment, before she opened her mouth to form the words of her answer, the bell of the coffee shop door chimed signaling the arrival of a customer. _

_He was there. In the very coffee shop she was in, his gaze burning intensely as it held hers. She quickly diverted her eyes elsewhere, like a little child caught doing something wrong. She didn't know what this could mean for her, but all the guy did was sit and talk with her, she couldn't live with herself if anything happened to him because of her. The fear and terror she felt of harm befalling her best friends always stopped her process of defiance. _

_This was precisely why she never got to feel like a normal college kid. There was no guarantee others would be able to be college kids safely and without harm traced back to her. She knew exactly what Edward was capable of, she should have known better. _

"_No, thanks. My friend's here to pick me up. See you in class, good luck with the paper." Bella said in one breath, collecting her belongings in a hurry and throwing a small smile at her classmate before rushing to where Edward was standing idly, holding a cup of coffee to go. She noticed his jaw was clenched and his lips were set in a hard line. He threw a hard look at her class mate before slowly looking at Bella with blazing Topaz eyes. His look made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. The air around him it's self seemed to crack with electricity. He handed her the coffee and she took it unwillingly, motivated primarily by fear, and then he opened the door for her. She walked out the door with the weight of the world on her shoulders. _

_She got in his Volvo and buckled up with nothing but the warm coffee in her hands to warm the ice cold fear she was feeling. She loathed herself at that moment, resented how quickly she thought twice about everything because of him. She was scared of his reaction and she hated herself even more for that. She could go on about her days normally, careless for her safety, but she couldn't let her actions lead to the retribution of others._

_There once was a strong and fiery girl, she would command the attention of a room with her intelligence and authority, now that girl hid somewhere in the depths of Bella's mind and she would not resurrect someone who would make the hurt worse. Bella mustered up her courage and whispered quietly with a tremor in her voice "Please don't hurt him." _

_Edward was eerily silent throughout the entire car ride. Even his hands on the steering wheel didn't give away any emotion. He was as normal a person can be while driving, except Bella knew that under his pristine exterior his anger probably passed boiling point. She knew, because her instincts, ever protective even if futile, told her to get away and hide. She hated how she couldn't shake off her fear of him, she was still weak. _

_Bella brought the coffee to her lips just to busy herself with something. Something bad might happen to her, but she couldn't withstand something bad happening because of her. She didn't want to start picturing the worst case scenario. She didn't want this crippling fear. She took a sip of the coffee and pursed her lips. She stared at the cup in her hands for a while before shifting her gaze to the street lamps they were passing, bitter coffee was all she had to make her feel better about her bitter life. _

Bella walked in the empty dark hallway reflecting on that night in a mix of wonder and confusion. Nothing had happened, she just went to her room and prayed nothing would happen and nothing did. She went to class and saw the same guy unscathed and normal as ever. She went back to her routine life of studying and co-existing with her 'roommates'. She never saw him after that night, never felt his presence anywhere and it almost seemed like she was living alone at some point, no one was ever around.

She wanted to be left alone and got her wish. She should be beyond ecstatic and she was sure she would be.

Bella descended the marble spiral stairs and was grateful for the socks she put on to protect her from the freezing cold of the marble floors. She navigated her way to the kitchen where she glanced at the clock that read 4:00 AM.

She made herself a black cup of coffee; she'd developed a taste for its bitterness. In the darkness, she stood, pensively looking out and staring at the pitch black sleeping world. She wondered how, even though the sky was lit by the moon and stars, it was still blindingly black outside whereas in the kitchen where she stood, the soft moon light casted shadows that her vision perceived.

It was the silence she enjoyed, until the silence turned into what invoked a sense of familiarity. She felt the goosebumps breakout on her skin before she even registered what it was that caused this reaction.

He was there.

He had to be.

Bella placed her cup of coffee on the counter and slowly turned around, her eyes searching the suddenly pitch black room, as if all the faint light was consumed by the shadows. She couldn't see anything, so she took a few steps towards the kitchen door. She could run to the safety of her room and make believe it had the power to repel him.

She tried to walk back in the darkness as normally as possible, unaffected at all by her haywire feelings. She ascended the stairs and half skipped to her room. When she closed the door behind her and locked it she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down its thunderous beating.

"I'm right here" Bella blinked a few times as she stared up into Edwards's topaz eyes. Her breathing hitched and every nerve end in her body was aware of his presence and his close proximity.

But that floated somewhere in the back of her mind, because his gaze captured hers with a coldness that froze her insides. His entire demeanor emanated something sinister and he smirked as she breathed deeply to try and steady her nerves.

"Can I ask you a question, Bella?" Whispered Edward sweetly as he leaned in, trapping her between his arms that jailed her between him and the wall.

Bella swallowed and glanced at both his arms before looking back into his emotionless face and unreadable eyes. She nodded not trusting her own voice to not crack and betray her the same way her body had.

"Why were you shouting 'Jake' in your sleep?" He asked in a frightening quite tone.

Bella froze and held her breath, not daring to blink as she looked into Edwards deadly eyes. She didn't know she sleep talked and there wasn't a worse time for her to find out. She continued to stare dumbfounded and in shock. That nightmare was pushed into the back of her mind; it was horrible enough seeing one of her best friends walk away from her in real life, let alone having to relive it in a dream. However, she instantly knew what Edward was referring to.

"So?" Edward asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was a nightmare." Bella let out in a small voice breaking eye contact.

"Look at me." Edward demanded in a harsh tone, his voice not so calm and collected anymore.

Bella, against her better judgment, met his fiery topaz eyes and gulped. The intensity in them frightened her.

"How" he breathed softly, leaning in closer to her face, their noses were close enough to touch. Something unreadable flashed in his eyes and Bella just stared blankly at him. The air around him changed fundamentally, something else seemed to hang in the air quite heavily.

"What?" she whispered back just as softly. Everything seemed to fade away, the moment washing all her fear away, the look in his eyes puzzling her even more. It was almost like she was under a spell, bewitched by his eyes.

"How can I fix you?"

Bella looked into Edwards eyes, unable to see past their beautiful color and shook her head.

"_You_ can't."

Bella looked around the empty room questioning if Edward was ever there at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Been a while since I updated, please forgive me. I hope you like this chapter. It took a while to write. Read and review if you feel like it! Thanks x

Chapter Four:

Edward Cullen sat at the kitchen table; shoulders slumped with his elbows connected to the smooth wooden surface. He closed his Topaz eyes and inhaled deeply. He then exhaled and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. All he could smell was her. Out of all the aromas that surrounded him, he seemed to always find hers and focus on that only. It wasn't even a habit, it was a subconscious need. It was the only part of her he could freely indulge in without pushing her away. It was also the cause of his torment and torture.

He was very good at pretending he was as stony in the inside as his indestructible exterior. That the mere idea of love and a mate were trivial, that no such thing existed for him. He'd lived years wishing for it until he gave up on it. And with that, he gave up the last remaining piece of who he was. He turned his back on what humanity he had left and walked the path of a superior mindless being.

Emotions were messy and the notion of a mate for every vampire ceased to make sense to him. He became an unrestrained mad man. He walked the earth and did as he pleased. His moral compass was broken and wherever he walked he left a trail of dripping blood.

What was there to a man who turned into a beast- willingly? Havoc was where he found peace.

On a path he would walk, and what life he encountered fled in terror. The rhythmic sound of his steps would send a warning signal- something sinister this way comes. It had always been that way, Edward and his shadow.

He would stand, from a distance, as a silent observer of what once was a frame he belonged to. Humanity, he was so far gone he wouldn't recognize it even if he were to turn human again. So, he stood and observed, with cold empty eyes, the frame of humanity he would eventually break and burn in the dead of night.

"Stop thinking about your past."

Edward let out a hollow chuckle, tilting his head lightly in the direction of the sing-song voice that belonged to his sister "And I thought I was the mind reader."

"You're not as unreadable as you think, brother." Said Alice Cullen, smirking lightly at Edward and sitting in the empty chair across from him.

They both sat in silence, content to just share the same space. No words were really needed to be exchanged. Alice had a knack of appearing just as he was on the abyss of falling into his old ways, it was seldom a coincidence and Edward was well aware of that.

"You can't fight fate. It's poetic really, once it's set in stone, everything has a beautiful way of coming together. A human cannot fix that which they deem unfixable. But we can. "

Edward looked at the empty chair across from him, his eyes focused on one spot while his mind wandered in the realm of possibilities. Alice was never one for idle comfort chit chat, there was always some deeper meaning to her words. Something, she would keep hidden by physically disappearing before he ever had the chance to read it from her thoughts directly; a temporary immunity to his gift of mind reading. He would eventually know though, he knew everything about everyone. He only ever needed to listen to the words they didn't utter.

Except with _her_.

Fate, indeed, was poetic.

xxx

Pain was all Bella could feel, lying on a bed not her own and home that wasn't a home. She was confused, which added all the more to her pain. How was she ever going to carry on existing if all she felt was utter emptiness and despair? She looked at her life with bleak eyes and gave up. She had given up before and tried to help herself, tried to take the pain away, tried and failed. Was there a reason to that? What did she ever do to deserve this constant pain? She thought of herself as a highly moral person, helped when help was needed and stood up for those being put down by mindless ignorant hearts. She was a good daughter, at least she thought she was, and tried to take the good and the bad of life one step at a time. She had dreams, hopes and desires that will never surface. She was truly alone and isolated, in a small room in her mind, slowly burning away.

She sat on the window seat, staring out into the cloudy sky. Suddenly, the necklace around her neck felt too heavy, the socks on her feet too warm and the air she breathed too suffocating. She yanked her chain off and threw it across the room. The weight was still there, threatening to break her neck. She looked down at her palms and screamed. Bella's eyes fluttered open. She was on the window seat, staring into a cloudy sky. She moved to pinch herself; the dull pain in her forearm reminded her gently that this time around she wasn't stuck in a nightmare. She had drifted off.

"What is it you see, in your dreams?" It was a deep soothing voice, so melodic and serene; it filled her heart with comfort and peace. Bella turned her head to stare at beautiful topaz eyes; she smiled, knowing no harm would befall her, absolute in her trust.

"This is never how I feel, are you doing this to me?" her mind prevailed over her body, no matter how natural it is to feel the way she was feeling now, she knew it wasn't her. It couldn't be.

"My name is Jasper Whitlock. I don't believe we've had the pleasure to meet properly." Said the blonde vampire with a courteous nod from the armchair he was currently occupying.

"Is this an ability of yours?" asked Bella, turning her head to continue staring out her window.

"Yes."

"Mmh." She hummed in acknowledgement.

"What are you afraid of?" Jasper asked and she closed her eyes as another wave of calm washed over her.

"Why, asks the crocodile."

"I can feel what you feel."

"But I can't turn it off."

"I'm here to help."

"Leave, please."

"If that's what you wish."

"Take _this_ away."

It was an odd moment. Where her peace turned to the nothingness she was used to. He left taking what he brought away per her request; she knew she was back alone.

xxx

Minutes turned to hours as she stared at nothing in particular. The day turned into night and soon sleep would take her into a world no worse than this. Where was there to escape?

She stood up, stretching the muscles she hadn't used all day. The burning sensation was a welcomed distraction from her constant dark cloud. But, it was that prickling sensation again that alerted her of his presence.

She didn't turn around; she just froze where she was, still looking out the window. He didn't really come to see her at all after that night. She still wondered if it had been a dream, because it was so surreal to her. He seemed almost _human_. Everything was so inverted from the way it was meant to be, she didn't really care for it to be anything anyway. She didn't really care at all.

But that was a lie.

Her heart betrayed her announcing her awareness of his presence. She could completely shut off, but her heart would always give her away. She hated how exposed she was to him, how he could tell just by the beat of her heart how she felt. She knew he noticed all the little things, how his eyes were always on her trying to interpret everything she did. He probably got enough intel on her to write a book about her. Not that anyone would read it she thought cynically.

"I brought you some frozen yoghurt with mixed nuts. You haven't eaten all day." Came his voice from right over her left shoulder. She could smell his sweet breath and feel his closeness radiate off her skin. Something that would have stopped her heart if it could physically happen- and she was convinced that at some point it would happen to her- caused the contrary to occur. She clutched the fabric of her blouse- right over her heart as she felt it, gradually, slow down. It was almost as if his closeness comforted her.

Bella, wide eyes and dazed, turned around slowly and looked up into a pair of toffee dreamy eyes. "Huh?" She let out in a whisper- so caught up in Edwards's hypnotic gaze she didn't even notice their close proximity. Her brain was completely somewhere else, trying to process the bizarre event that just transpired emotionally, until her eyes met his and she was caught up somewhere else completely.

Edward, just as hypnotized by her eyes as she was by his, brushed his knuckles softly on the smooth skin of her cheek bone. They almost ghosted over her skin, until his need to make contact with her, in any way possible, won over his fear of frightening her. He knew he had done enough damage and needed to tread carefully now.

She surprised the both of them when she closed her eyes in reaction to his touch almost instantly, her head tilting ever so slighting into it.

Edward was sure if he had a beating heart it would rock the very earth they stood on with its every beat. His eyes turned to liquid topaz as he engraved her face in that moment into his memory. Something different took place today, something shifted.

Bella opened her eyes with a snap and took two hasty steps back, almost losing her balance. Her body took control over her mind and it scared her to the core "Is this Jasper's doing, is he making me feel this way?"

"He is out hunting." Said Edward shortly. He handed her the brown paper bag with the yoghurt and she took it muttering a 'thank you' absentmindedly. His words were playing over and over again in her head. It made no sense at all unless his ability worked over long distances. Maybe this was another dream; maybe she had dozed off again. This couldn't be real, she couldn't want for _him _to be around, nevertheless want him to be close to her and actually touch her. She backed slowly into the window seat with the paper bag held awkwardly on her lap. It had to be a dream; she wasn't capable of feeling anything but deep hopelessness and emptiness. Her mind knew that even when her emotions were being controlled. So the way she was feeling now- the way she was not feeling now- had to be a dream. A dream where Edward for once wasn't her tormentor and had actually brought her one of her favorite treats, could it be? She never knew the difference between dreams and reality, but this couldn't possibly be reality.

"What is the meaning of this? Is this real, I can't tell the difference anymore." Bella said tiredly, brining her hands up to massage her temples.

Edward walked over to the armchair and took a seat. He was quite for a long time " Your yoghurt will melt, I suggest you have it now."

Bella glanced quickly at where Edward was seated and looked down at the bag. She slowly opened it and took out the yoghurt container, her stomach happily rumbling at the sight of it. She took the plastic spoon and brought a spoonful of the contents to her lips. The familiar taste and feeling that that one spoon invoked in her made her hands tremble as she took another and another.

This was definitely not a dream. She simply knew and she was not prepared to think about it and dissect all that had happened. She was too tired for that now, she was exhausted.

She put the empty container in the brown paper bag. Her grip on it was so strong the paper ripped where she was holding it. She wasn't thinking of anything except Edward, sitting on the armchair beside her, and Edward shifting to sit on the window seat next to her.

He gently took the paper bag out of her trembling hands and put it on the floor.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked softly, his voice giving her Goosebumps. Bella didn't know what to think, her thoughts overloaded and crashed before she could even process anything. But he was the zebra of her thoughts now, he was right there, asking her a sure 'No' question. Why was she hesitating?

"I'm tired." She crossed the distance to the bed, as shaky in the inside as she was on the outside, and buried herself under the covers. She felt drained, as if all the energy in her body and mind was sucked dry. Maybe this was all a dream after all?

She drifted off almost instantly, fully aware of leaving his question unanswered, fully aware of not having said 'No'.

XXX

I hope you Enjoyed this chapter. =)


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